Agenda and minutes

The Chair took the opportunity to introduce the meeting and welcomed the new Members on the Commission.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Waddington.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed on the agenda.

Councillor Rae Bhatia declared that he had made comments to the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) being discussed as part of the agenda, as it was within the ward he represented and Councillor Rae Bhatia opted to abstain from the discussions on this matter during the meeting.

The minutes of the meeting of the Commission held on 23 March 2022 are attached and Members are asked to confirm them as correct record.

Councillor Porter requested that his virtual presence at the meeting of the Economic Development, Transportation and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission meeting on 23 March 2022 be recorded.

AGREED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Economic Development, Transportation and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission be confirmed as a correct record.

Members of the Commission are asked to note the Terms of Reference

AGREED:

That the Terms of Reference for the Economic Development, Transportation and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission be noted.

Members of the Commission are asked to note the Membership of the Economic Development, Transportation and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission:

Councillor Joel (Chair)

Councillor Fonseca (Vice Chair)

Councillor Rae Bhatia

Councillor Sandhu

Councillor Valand

Councillor Waddington

Councillor Whittle

Councillor Porter

AGREED:

That the Membership of the Economic Development, Transportation and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission 2022/23 be noted.

Members of the Commission are asked to note the Commission Meeting dates as follows:

23 June 2022

31 August 2022

12 October 2022

30 November 2022

26 January 2023

22 March 2023

AGREED:

That the dates of the Economic Development, Transportation and Climate Emergency Scrutiny Commission be noted.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any questions, representations and statements of case received in accordance with Council procedures.

The following question has been received from Nicola Royale:

We (Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire) fully support the new Beaumont Leys Park and Ride as, along with other Park and Ride sites, it has the potential to reduce car use within the city and improve connectivity for households without a car. We also support developments that include a provision for renewable energy generation where ever possible. So our question is: will the new Beaumont Leys Park and Ride site include installation of solar panels for renewable energy generation?

The following question was presented to the Commission by Nicola Royale:

We (Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire) fully support the new Beaumont Leys Park and Ride as, along with other Park and Ride sites, it has the potential to reduce car use within the city and improve connectivity for households without a car. We also support developments that include a provision for renewable energy generation where ever possible. So our question is: will the new Beaumont Leys Park and Ride site include installation of solar panels for renewable energy generation?

The deputy City Mayor for Environment and Transportation pointed out that the city Council were opening the new St Margarets Bus Station which was the first net Zero bus station in the UK, with a solar farm on its roof. It was also noted that the Council were participating in a program to decarbonise public sector buildings across the city with a £25 million investment.

In response to the question the Director for Planning, Transportation and Development noted that, the department was currently at the design stage and were looking at the inclusion of solar panels as part of the scheme.

The Chair thanked Nicola for the question and Officers for the response.

The Monitoring Officer to report on any petitions received in accordance with Council procedures.

The Monitoring officer noted that none had been receiverd.

At the Chair’s request, the City Mayor was invited to provide a verbal update on the Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) to the Commission.

As part of the update it was noted that:

·         A definitive response was not yet available

·         An overwhelming response to the consultation with over 4000 responses to the consultation including 20,000 comments

·         There were a lot of responses in support of the proposal taking into consideration the positive impact on the environmental issues and also of people raising their concerns with the proposal on whether it was the equitable thing to do and who would be affected by the cost

·         It was a manifesto commitment at the last election and it has gone to consultation

·         Due to the large number of responses, Officers were now considering what has been said during the consultation, both pro and against before a summary is put together

·         It was frustrating that a summary was not available due to the volume of responses, but when it is, it would be bought to Commission

It was further noted that if the proposal was to go ahead, it would not be something that can be implemented straight away and would take some time to deliver as there were processes that needed to be followed. As well as coming to the Commission it was noted that the proposal would need the sign off from the Secretary of State and would also go to Council for a decision.

Councillor Porter made a declaration that he was fronting a campaign against the WPL which had gathered 2000 signatures to date. The Member further raised his concerns on why this item was not brought to the Aylestone Ward Meeting the night before.

The Chair noted that this item was brought to commission on her request and that the Scrutiny Commission was not the place to discuss ward meeting matters.

The Member further enquired, if 25% of carbon emissions in Leicester came from road traffic, what percentage of Carbon emissions came from busses. With the Councils effort to introduce more electric busses to the City which was a step in the right direction and suggested that we needed more electric busses on the city to reduce the carbon emissions.

In response to the Members question, the Chair suggested that, the Director for Planning, Development and Transportation be requested to provide a response to the Members question as part of the summary on the WPL consultation.

The Director for Planning, Development and Transportation submits a report on Traffic Regulation Orders.

Members of the Commission are recommended to note the report and provide any comments to the Director of Planning, Development and Transportation.

Councillor Rae Bhatia abstained from the discussions on the item.

Councillor Dempster made a representation to the Commission as the local Ward Councillor for the Beaumont Leys ward and expressed her concerns for the safety of residents of Beauville Drive and the safety of school children.

The City Highways Director provided an overview of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) report and noted that a temporary scheme had been in place and had proved to be effective.

As part of the discussions Members noted that:

·         The problem usually is a result of inconsiderate parking by parents during term time

·         The objectors should not be dismissed, and their representations should be considered as part of the decision making process

·         Term time restrictions should be considered

In response to the discussions, the City Highways Director noted that a response for term time restrictions had been provided and the option had not been dismissed.

AGREED:

1)    That the City Highways Director be requested to consider the comments and responses from the Commission when making the delegated decision; and

2)    That the report be noted.

The Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment submits a presentation updating the Commission on the Construction Skills Hub.

Members of the Commission are recommended to note the presentation and pass any comments to the Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment.

The Assistant City Mayor for Jobs, Skills, Policy Delivery and Communications introduced the item on the Construction Skills Hub update.

The Regeneration Programme and Projects Manager delivered a presentation providing an overview of the Construction Skills Hub .

As part of the discussions, it was noted that:

·         To look into the possibility of organising a specific  group for women with an aim to increase female representation in construction

·         Women in Construction was an existing project that the Housing Team were delivering, and there could be opportunities to engage with this initiative

·         Members of the Commission welcomed the measures that the council was taking in a deprived area of the city

Officers noted that the service was now delivering targeted marketing and communications with certain groups.

A Member queried Officers on the cost of the course and whether the cost of the course could be reduced. It was noted that the pay back from investment was good, as there were a good success rate and people were going into long term work and noted that further information could be provided in the future as this course would continue. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) who were experienced in this sector had suggested that the cost of the course was fair.

The Chair noted that it was good to see a breakdown of ethnicity as part of the presentation and was pleased to see how service users had travelled the path into employment. It was suggested that these figures could be used to attract wider engagement across the city. The Chair requested that further updates on outcomes in the future and any information on obstacles for ethnic minority groups would be welcomed by the Commission.

The Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment submits a presentation updating the Commission on the Employment Hub.

Members of the Commission are recommended to note the presentation and pass any comments to the Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment.

The Assistant City Mayor for Jobs, Skills, Policy Delivery and Communications introduced the item on the Employment Hub update and noted that there were a range of interventions for those who had been long term excluded, the strong positions people were in to take up work and the work being carried out to upskill the cities workforce.

The Employment Hub Manager delivered a presentation providing an overview of the Employment Hub.

As part of the discussions Members noted that:

·         Members of the Commission had previously asked about the potential of providing HGV training courses. In response it was noted that the DWP and other private sector organisations already provided access to HGV training  and the Employment Hub could help to signpost to these opportunities

·         Support for SEND individuals was provided to help them find employment following which DWP supported any adaptations required. There was limited additional support on offer once employment had commenced

·         Data concerning the project reach across sectors was being analysed to measure the effectiveness and to inform future targeting

·         One of the benefits of the Employment Hub was how this brings together the support delivered by partner organisations. For example, the Prince’s Trust supported young people, helping them into jobs via  the Employment Hub. . DMU offered higher level degree apprenticeships.

The Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment noted that there was a range of work being undertaken and improvements had been made on collation and analysis of management  information. Partner organisations that made referrals were being reviewed, with ongoing work to address under-represented communities also being supported via the Community Renewal Fund programme. The opportunity to provide further updates in the future was welcomed.

The Assistant City Mayor for Jobs, Skills, Policy Delivery and Communications noted that continuous reflection on how the interventions supported and benefitted service users and what and how improvements could be made supported future plans.

The Chair queried officers on the participation of people across the city and how Members could support increased participation across the city and the future plans to attract young talent with the Kickstart programme coming to an end. In response to the Chair the Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment noted that there had been a complete change in terms of labour market supply and demand following the pandemic. Support from central Government was required to support future projects. It was further noted that a key priority for the organisation was considering various workforce planning and structures of services.

AGREED:

1)    That the Director for Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment be requested to consider comments made by the Commission; and

2)    That the report be noted.

For Members’ consideration, the work programme for the Commission is attached.

The Chair suggested that any proposed items for consideration be shared with the Chair or the Scrutiny Policy Officer.

There being no items of further business, the meeting closed at 7:22pm